


We Came To Start Again

by prettychancellors



Category: The 100, kabby - Fandom
Genre: Christmas fic, F/M, Fluff, and snuggles, just cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 01:09:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9049225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettychancellors/pseuds/prettychancellors
Summary: Arkadia decides to take the night off and celebrate Christmas Eve :) Complete fluff with a tiny bit of angst





	

“ _Faya Soncha_ ”

“Good,” Indra’s firm voice was encouraging as Marcus stoked the fire,

“ _Mochof_ _Indra_.” Thank you Indra.

Abby was positive Marcus was slowly trying to kill her with these Trigedasleng lessons he insisted on taking from Indra. It was true many of the sky people had already taken to the grounders’ native tongue with ease, some almost fluently speaking in Trigedasleng and conversing happily with members of Trikru. But Abby could have sworn that _no one_ put as much feeling into it as Marcus Kane. The way the syllables rolled off his tongue as he attempted to simulate the accent shouldn’t have been as seductive as it was, and Abby fought hard to keep her eyes trained on his instead of drifting to his mouth.

“Sing another one!” Abby was shoved from her reverie by Raven’s loud voice next to her, begging Macallan to sing yet another Christmas carol. The delinquents, as well as Sinclair and Marcus, had insisted on having a celebration of the old holiday by setting up a bonfire in the middle of Arkadia. Celebration was not something they could afford on the ark, but since coming to the ground, Abby had learned that indulging in such luxuries was good for everyone’s mindsets as they continued to adapt to earth. She glanced over at Marcus, whose smiling face was enchanted by the flickering lights of the fire, and realised that earth truly had brought about the best in _everyone_.

Macallan happily obliged Raven’s pleading, and with a grin adorning his face, he began to sing.  
_“Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells...”_

The song was haunting, beautifully so, and as the boy’s angelic voice filled the silence, Abby let out an quiet gasp as she found Marcus’s brown eyes boring into hers. It was not as though they were directly across from each other – he had to tilt his head a little to the left and she to her right. It would be different, Abby thought, if they had been in each other’s direct line of sight.

But they weren’t.

And Marcus was seeking her out.

The thought made her upper lip sweat as she grasped her lower one between her teeth. His face slowly melded into a smirk as Macallan’s voice continued to charge the atmosphere.

_“....from everywhere, filling the air...”_

Indra suddenly got up from her place next to Marcus, announcing her retirement for the evening.

“Gud sheidgeda Indra” Marcus spoke confidently although his face betrayed his embarrassment at getting caught staring.  
  
“I should be getting to bed too, it’s late.” Abby said, more so to Raven than to any one else. It wasn’t that late, but there was only so much she could take of Marcus’ Trigedasleng accent while still managing keep her dignity intact. As Abby made her way across Arkadia, she started to miss the warmth of the fire. Although they’d had cold nights before, this one seemed particularly intent on chilling her to the bone. When she finally reached the entrance to the section of the fallen ark that housed her quarters, she realised that the airlock that they had utilised for keeping in warmth was shut tight. Sinclair must have been distracted by the Christmas celebrations to remember to open the necessary locks, and judging by his near miss at falling into the fire before, he was far to drunk on Monty’s moonshine to operate the lock now.  
  
“Damn it,” Abby muttered to herself, and considered staying in medical for the night before coming to the swift conclusion that it was simply too cold. Turning around resolutely, Abby decided to go and check on the engineer’s state of mind. Come hell or high water, she was _going_ to get warm.

As she made her way back across the new settlement, Abby noticed that a few more people had drifted back to their quarters for the night. Getting closer, she noticed Sinclair slumped over Monty, fast asleep. The young boy did _not_ look impressed. As Abby stifled a giggle at the sight, she turned to Raven who had noticed her presence behind her.

“Hey Abs, I thought you went to bed?”

“Airlock’s shut. I was going to get Sinclair to open it, but...”

“Yeah, that isn’t gonna happen.” Raven said with a sly smile as they glanced over at the now snoring man.

"I was hoping you might be able to open it?”

“Sorry, Sinclair’s the only one with the code for that lock...which is pretty stupid, we really should do something about that.” Raven’s muttering became background noise as Abby noticed Marcus’ absence from the fire.

“Uh, no that’s okay, I have somewhere I can stay for the night.” Abby said quickly, turning away from Raven before shouting a hurried “good night” over her shoulder.

_What are you doing? You could easily stay with Raven tonight. There is absolutely no need to interrupt Marcus on his night off from guard duty._

Yet Abby’s feet appeared to detach themselves from logic as she made her way to Marcus’ quarters.

 

* * *

 

Marcus was pulling on a fresh grey t-shirt when a knock sounded at his door. Stretching the shirt over his torso, he wondered who on earth would want to see him on Christmas Eve. After all, he was sure he’d taken care of all the logistics and made the necessary arrangements that would allow the majority of Arkadians to have the night off.

As he opened the door, the sight that greeted him was certainly not what he had expected. Abby stood with her arms hugging herself in a vain attempt to block out the cold gust of wind that floated through the cold corridor. Marcus immediately noticed the dark blush of her cheeks that he assumed was a mixture of the afterglow of the fire and the harsh winter cold.

“Abby, it’s freezing, why aren’t you in your quarters?”

“Sinclair forgot the airlock...and he – “

“He’s passed out somewhere, huh?” Marcus smirked and wrapped a hand around her shoulder, “Come in, you need to get warm,” Marcus said as he guided her into his small living space. Abby rested against the cool metal table as she watched Marcus fumble through his chest of clothes.

“You can’t wear that to bed, here.” He chucked her a long sleeve black shirt and some fleecy pants. Abby caught them barely, slightly dumbstruck that he had read her mind so quickly.

“Marcus, I...I appreciate this, I know it’s your night off, and I really didn’t want to disturb you – “

“You’re not disturbing me.” The words flew from his mouth so quickly he ducked his head in embarrassment.

“I mean, you’re the chancellor, after all. Can’t have you bunking with the kids, can we?”

“They do tend to get a bit rowdy...” Abby met his smirk with one of her own. They held their gaze for a few seconds longer than necessary, and they could almost hear the stirring Christmas carol floating through the air again.

“I’ll, uh, give you some privacy.” Marcus stammered as he made his way to the door.

“No, it’s fine, I’ll just use your bathroom.”

“Right, of course...” Marcus halted at the door, “I can change the sheets while you’re in there, I’ll use the old ones for the couch.”

"Seriously Marcus? I feel guilty enough for ruining your Christmas Eve, just sleep next to me.”

“Ab–"

“Really, it’s fine. And don’t bother changing the sheets...I like the flannel ones.” Abby shot him a sure smile as she ducked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Marcus stood there like an idiot, wondering what in the world had just happened. He could not make it through a night sleeping beside Abby without making a fool of himself. Sure, he thought they had shared a moment by the fire when he had finally caught her eyes, but he was not prepared for _this_. Marcus had dreamed of holding Abby as she drifted off to sleep for longer than he would ever admit, dreamt of pushing back her soft golden hair from her face as she snuggled into his chest. But that’s all it was and all it would ever be – a dream. He knew, after what had happened between them in the last days of the ark, that they could never have that sort of domestic bliss. He was kicked out of his sobering thoughts when the woman who had stolen his heart emerged from the bathroom.

Wearing _his_ clothes.

Marcus thought his heart had stopped as he took in the sight before him. Abby was fully clothed, the black shirt bunching around her midsection and the too-long pants gathering in layers at her ankles, but she may as well have been wearing a lacy nightdress. Marcus gulped as he struggled to find some words, any words. Abby tugged on the sleeves to keep them from falling over her hands and Marcus found the entire scene nothing less than _adorable_.

“I’m sorry they’re big.” Marcus looked up at her, his face flushed from trying to suppress the feelings that had inadvertently bubbled to the surface.

“They’re comfortable, Marcus, thank you.” Abby smiled, putting his mind to rest with her sincerity. She crossed the room and climbed into his bed, looking so at home and at ease that Marcus almost allowed himself to pretend that this was normal - that them going to bed together, in the most innocent sense, sleeping side by side and waking up in each other’s arms was something that happened regularly. He mentally berated himself as he quietly climbed in next to her.

_It’s one night, she sees you as a friend, nothing more. Get a hold of yourself, man._

As Abby buried herself beneath the covers, Marcus realised he didn’t know what to do with his hands. He would normally sleep with them spread out onto the adjacent pillow, but Abby now laid her head there, eyes fluttering closed. He turned to switch off the lamp beside the bed, effectively removing all light from the room. He felt more comfortable that way, he decided, knowing that Abby couldn’t suddenly look up at him and see the idiotic smile that threatened to take over his entire face. Apparently Abby sensed his newfound easiness as suddenly she was no longer on her side of the bed but had moved to rest her head right near his shoulder. Feeling her warm breath against his skin, Marcus knew there was no way he was going to sleep any time soon. However, he knew Abby could drift off into the deepest of sleeps at a moment’s notice. This is why it should have come as no surprise when she suddenly shifted to lay her head directly on his chest, one arm swinging over his taut stomach and gripping his worn t-shirt between her fingers. Marcus let out an audible gasp at the action. Abby’s scent suddenly filled his nostrils as he braced all of his nervous energy to keep from reacting. The smell of pine, from her day trip with Nyko to source medicinal herbs, mixed with the comforting aroma of antiseptic and something that was so uniquely Abby threatened to overtake his sanity.

 _How could she smell so good after a hard day’s work?_  
Marcus suddenly became extremely self-conscious. _  
Don’t be stupid, you’ve showered, you smell fine. Besides, would she really be this close if you smelled bad?_

Abby spread her other hand underneath his arm, grasping at his muscles and, almost subconsciously, Marcus moved his arm to lay across her waist, pulling her closer to him. The action earned him a faint mew of pleasure from Abby as she somehow snuggled even closer to his chest, her hand that had clutched his t-shirt now rising up to rest over his bare collarbone. Marcus glanced down and let himself smile. With startling awareness, he realised that, for the first time in a long time, he felt content. He felt safe, and, dare he say it, _loved_. He moved his free hand to clutch her fingers that were somehow moving closer to his beard, and softly stroked them. Abby shifted slightly and for a minute, he thought she had woken up. The panic he felt was quickly replaced with adoration as she nestled back against him, her tiny pink tongue darting out to soothe her winter-chapped lips. He was suddenly overcome with desire to soothe her lips with his, to hold onto her as she was holding onto him. Her scent, the weight of her against his chest, it all became too much as tears threatened to surface. As his fingers kept stroking hers, they suddenly found the cold metal band that had resided there for as long as he had known her.

_I can’t do this._

The thought caused him to suddenly bolt upright, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. In his haste, he had forgotten Abby’s position on his chest and as he turned around, he saw her sitting upright on the bed, dazed and blinking frantically.  
"Marcus, what’s wrong? Did something hap– ”

“Nothing, Abby, go back to sleep.” Marcus tried to keep his voice trained as he refused to look her in the eye. Lifting himself off the bed, he walked over to the couch, sat down and rested his face in his hands.

“Marcus, please...”

“I just find it difficult to sleep next to someone. It’s nothing, really, I’m perfectly fine sleeping here.”  
Abby didn’t respond, and for a short time Marcus thought she had gone back to sleep. Suddenly, he heard her footsteps walk past him toward the door. Lifting his head from his hands, he jumped to stop her from leaving.

“Abby, you can’t go out there at this time of night, it’s freezing and you have no place to go anyway. Please, just stay.”

“No. I feel bad enough for putting you out, I’ll go–" Marcus detected a hint of sadness in her voice, as though she was struggling to fight back tears as well.

“Abby, if you think I’m letting you go out that door, you’re crazy.”

“Let me? I’m the chancellor!”

“Exactly!”

While their voices had grown louder, their bodies had grown closer. The cold night air grew heated between them, both of them struggling for words. When Marcus saw a tear escape as Abby quickly tried to cover it up, he knew he had to come clean.

_I can’t let her think I don’t want her here._

“Abby,” Marcus started as he brushed a second tear off her cheekbone.

“I lied. I don’t have a problem sleeping next to someone, least of all you,” He let out a sad chuckle as he continued before he lost his nerve, “I know you were asleep, but you...you were there, in my arms, holding me, and I...I just...” He looked into her eyes and was met with a look of slight embarrassment mixed with what looked an awful lot like love.

“I’ve wanted that for so long, I couldn’t put myself through one night of finally having you in my arms only to have it taken away tomorrow.” He said the last sentence so quickly and softly that he doubted she heard him at all. Refusing to make eye contact, he didn’t see her move even closer to him.

“Hey,” Abby had sidled up to his chest once again, moving her hands to grasp his shoulders and tilt his chin up to meet her gaze. “What makes you think this was only for tonight?”

Marcus almost laughed at her logic, “What are you talking about? After everything I’ve done to you, to your family, to Jake, to Clarke, you can understand why I thought we’d never –"

His noble speech was cut short by the firm pressure of her lips against his, gently coaxing him to reciprocate the action. She tugged at his lower lip, and with a growl of affirmation, he gathered her up in his arms, moving his lips passionately with hers, finding a rhythm that whispered silent words of forgiveness and hope simultaneously. Her low moans drove him to do something so stupidly romantic that he felt her smile beneath his lips – he moved his hands to grasp her thighs, lifting her off the ground to settle around his waist. With a concluding nibble at her bottom lip, he pulled away to look into her darkened eyes. She was so beautiful in that moment, he could have sobbed.

“Hi”

With a girlish giggle, Abby rubbed her nose against his, “Hi”

Marcus stared at her with such blatant adoration and honesty that Abby suddenly felt the need to come clean also.

“You know, I wasn’t actually asleep before...not even a little bit.”  
Marcus gulped, “You mean, you were trying to...”

“Maybe...” Abby looked bashfully at him before burying her head in his neck.

“Hmmm...” Marcus pondered playfully, “Anything else you want to admit to, Chancellor?”

Still wrapped around his waist and looking endearingly flushed, Abby responded, “Well...I might have a thing for you speaking in Trigedasleng,” her admission earning her a chuckle of laughter followed by an even bolder kiss that took her breath away.

“ _Ai neuil em._ ” Marcus said, indulging her as he carried her back towards the bed. _I knew it._


End file.
